Welcome to Poetry London: New Poems

Featured Poems
from Poetry London April 7 Workshop

Spirit Rain by Peggy Fletcher

SPIRIT RAIN

It falls

on the faithful

with blue and white fervor

its shimmering magic

caught somewhere

between sunlight

and the place

where rainbows are born.

It speaks its own language

of gods unrecognized

or dismissed as pagan

sentinels of sin.

In its full regalia

of silver raindrops

it cascades around us

like a flood of glory.

Invisible

of such magnitude

we cannot touch

its weeping heart

minds tuned to greatness

we celebrate the names.

Superior

Michigan

Huron

Ontario

Erie

Through the window

by Ron Stewart

It's a sparse room,

not much there,

just an old chair.

There's a man

standing in front

of the window

looking down

the dusty road

life's highway

winding to the horizon.

Ah yes, the crossroads,

when he was nineteen,

twenty-two,

thirty-two,

thirty-six

and now.

Maybe the road less traveled

should have been his chosen path.

But commitment and responsibility

dragged him down

that freeway.

Accelerating to old age.

Slowly and sadly

he shakes his head,

and sits back down in his chair.

Featured Poem
from Poetry London Feb 24, 2010 Workshop

Poem-Changed
by Wendy Vlasic

Moved, to contemplate a new perspective.
A deep resonance vibrates, the core of being.
A gut aches, with revelation,
stunned transcendence reverberates the brain.

Quiet reflection for thoughts to permeate,

percolate,

transform meaning.

Unknown influence,

yet knowing you are changed.

Ignorance shattered,

dark corners illuminated.

Emotionally and intellectually interactive.

Extraordinary power, to explicate new truths.

Lust for knowledge feeds the ignorant hunger.
Desire for the novel,
conveyed through lens, script, song or sculpture.
A bequest from a master of artistry.

Featured Poem
from Poetry London Jan 27, 2010 Workshop

Fall in Love with Life
by Marlene Laplante

Romance the day before you
Touch the beauty in its smile
Feel each moment so inviting
You’ll want to stay here for a while

In the warm arms of life’s promise
In the freedom of its kiss
You will find what you have searched for
Things that you have truly missed

Feel the passion grow within you
Let your feelings freely flow
Caress the time before you
Release your cares and let them go

Let life be your mistress
or the woman in your life
Or maybe it could be the man
you’ve longed for all your life

Fall into the arms of life
Let your spirit sing
Hold these feelings in your heart
Accept the gifts they bring

Life’s affair could last forever
Through the laughter and the tears
And the happiness it gives you
Will bring joy through all the years

Dusk to Dawn
by Marry Lukeman

The full moom
Lit the night
With a reflected glow
the mind's
daylight memories.
In early dawn
When mutted sky
Preceeds the sun.

and fills
those days
Of each moon's fullness

A silent, constant dance
of Ethereal
Visions and Emotions.

That moment of transition
Hardly noticed
By those who wander

These special nights
In restless solitude.

Featured Poem
from Poetry London October 21, 2009 Workshop

3 Encounters in 15 Minutes
by Michelle Doege

I.
My entrance into this verdant park,
Trinity Park Square in downtown Toronto
is disturbed by a homeless man
who sits cross-legged on the cement,
leans against the old cold stone
of the Church of the Holy Trinity.
Outstretched arm, cup in hand,
ragged shirt the colour of dirt. He asks:
“Hey miss, can you spare some change?”
Obviously, I can spare some change
but decide to move on.
Drawn to the labyrinth on my left.
Left with his question echoing
in my now stiff body.

II.
A labyrinth – a circular
winding, walking path
with only one entrance,
one way to the centre,
encourages us to shift
from the outside world
to the quiet in ourselves.
I step onto the path,
place one foot slowly
in front of the other.
Walk thoughtfully
weaving,
moving in circles
into the stillness
to the centre of this labyrinth
to the silence in myself.

III.
The burst of light in the Eaton Centre
leaves me blinded to the outside world.
Bright yellow lights and pink neon signs
persuade me to look at Swiss watches,
cell phones, the latest iPod.
Suave models with silky straight hair
entice me to consider a new pair of pants
a sexy new dress, a bust-building bra.
I am dizzy in the middle of this
swirling, twirling around in my head,
back to the labyrinth,
back to walking slowly in circles
back to dropping some change
into the homeless man’s cup.

Featured Poems
from Poetry London October 21, 2009 Workshop

Fear of God
by Frank Beltrano

God came up the driveway while I was buried deep in the garage.
He spoke in a loud voice calling me out to appeal to my compassionate side.

He was complete without four teeth missing at the front of His mouth, lower jaw, and I saw His hand come out to me; the name of God today was Dan.

He knew perfectly well how to shake a hand, but was having a hard time feeding His family. He wanted to cut my lawn for whatever price I saw fit. Did I mention he rode up on a “bicyclette”.
The bicycle of God lay prostrate on the drive.
He had another idea when I told Him I cut my own lawn.
Perhaps I could give Him one dollar and seventy-five

cents for milk to keep His family alive,
and I imagined the milk from a litre carton running wet down his chin past the gap where the four front teeth had been.

So I dug into my pocket knowing full well

my wallet held a twenty (Omniscient could He tell?),
fished out four quarters and a small flat stone that helps me deal with stress.

I gave Him only and all the coins, after all, God deals well with stress.
Then He thanked me and asked for no more,

picked His bike up off of the floor, peddled away to the local beer store, no doubt, left me with a pocket inside out.

I remembered what I’d read the day before.

“You’re inside every kindness…
You are inside the soul’s great fear…”

God came bicycling up the driveway and skirted round the car.
Today I gave four quarters away and then…and then…

“There you are.”

With quotes from the Rumi poem entitled “There You Are” translated by Coleman Barks

Featured Poem
from Poetry London February 11, 2009 Workshop

by Linda Damore

Release your self into Me

so that you may float upon

the ballast of your being.

	Featured Poems from Poetry London April 7 Workshop Spirit Rain by Peggy Fletcher SPIRIT RAIN It falls on the faithful with blue and white fervor its shimmering magic caught somewhere between sunlight and the place where rainbows are born. It speaks its own language of gods unrecognized or dismissed as pagan sentinels of sin. In its full regalia of silver raindrops it cascades around us like a flood of glory. Invisible of such magnitude we cannot touch its weeping heart minds tuned to greatness we celebrate the names. Superior Michigan Huron Ontario Erie Through the window by Ron Stewart It's a sparse room, not much there, just an old chair. There's a man standing in front of the window looking down the dusty road life's highway winding to the horizon. Ah yes, the crossroads, when he was nineteen, twenty-two, thirty-two, thirty-six and now. Maybe the road less traveled should have been his chosen path. But commitment and responsibility dragged him down that freeway. Accelerating to old age. Slowly and sadly he shakes his head, and sits back down in his chair. Featured Poem from Poetry London Feb 24, 2010 Workshop Poem-Changed by Wendy Vlasic Moved, to contemplate a new perspective. A deep resonance vibrates, the core of being. A gut aches, with revelation, stunned transcendence reverberates the brain. Quiet reflection for thoughts to permeate, percolate, transform meaning. Unknown influence, yet knowing you are changed. Ignorance shattered, dark corners illuminated. Emotionally and intellectually interactive. Extraordinary power, to explicate new truths. Lust for knowledge feeds the ignorant hunger. Desire for the novel, conveyed through lens, script, song or sculpture. A bequest from a master of artistry.
	Featured Poem from Poetry London Jan 27, 2010 Workshop Fall in Love with Life by Marlene Laplante Romance the day before you Touch the beauty in its smile Feel each moment so inviting You’ll want to stay here for a while In the warm arms of life’s promise In the freedom of its kiss You will find what you have searched for Things that you have truly missed Feel the passion grow within you Let your feelings freely flow Caress the time before you Release your cares and let them go Let life be your mistress or the woman in your life Or maybe it could be the man you’ve longed for all your life Fall into the arms of life Let your spirit sing Hold these feelings in your heart Accept the gifts they bring Life’s affair could last forever Through the laughter and the tears And the happiness it gives you Will bring joy through all the years Dusk to Dawn by Marry Lukeman The full moom Lit the night With a reflected glow the mind's daylight memories. In early dawn When mutted sky Preceeds the sun. and fills those days Of each moon's fullness A silent, constant dance of Ethereal Visions and Emotions. That moment of transition Hardly noticed By those who wander These special nights In restless solitude.
	Featured Poem from Poetry London October 21, 2009 Workshop 3 Encounters in 15 Minutes by Michelle Doege I. My entrance into this verdant park, Trinity Park Square in downtown Toronto is disturbed by a homeless man who sits cross-legged on the cement, leans against the old cold stone of the Church of the Holy Trinity. Outstretched arm, cup in hand, ragged shirt the colour of dirt. He asks: “Hey miss, can you spare some change?” Obviously, I can spare some change but decide to move on. Drawn to the labyrinth on my left. Left with his question echoing in my now stiff body. II. A labyrinth – a circular winding, walking path with only one entrance, one way to the centre, encourages us to shift from the outside world to the quiet in ourselves. I step onto the path, place one foot slowly in front of the other. Walk thoughtfully weaving, moving in circles into the stillness to the centre of this labyrinth to the silence in myself. III. The burst of light in the Eaton Centre leaves me blinded to the outside world. Bright yellow lights and pink neon signs persuade me to look at Swiss watches, cell phones, the latest iPod. Suave models with silky straight hair entice me to consider a new pair of pants a sexy new dress, a bust-building bra. I am dizzy in the middle of this swirling, twirling around in my head, back to the labyrinth, back to walking slowly in circles back to dropping some change into the homeless man’s cup.
	Featured Poems from Poetry London October 21, 2009 Workshop Fear of God by Frank Beltrano God came up the driveway while I was buried deep in the garage. He spoke in a loud voice calling me out to appeal to my compassionate side. He was complete without four teeth missing at the front of His mouth, lower jaw, and I saw His hand come out to me; the name of God today was Dan. He knew perfectly well how to shake a hand, but was having a hard time feeding His family. He wanted to cut my lawn for whatever price I saw fit. Did I mention he rode up on a “bicyclette”. The bicycle of God lay prostrate on the drive. He had another idea when I told Him I cut my own lawn. Perhaps I could give Him one dollar and seventy-five cents for milk to keep His family alive, and I imagined the milk from a litre carton running wet down his chin past the gap where the four front teeth had been. So I dug into my pocket knowing full well my wallet held a twenty (Omniscient could He tell?), fished out four quarters and a small flat stone that helps me deal with stress. I gave Him only and all the coins, after all, God deals well with stress. Then He thanked me and asked for no more, picked His bike up off of the floor, peddled away to the local beer store, no doubt, left me with a pocket inside out. I remembered what I’d read the day before. “You’re inside every kindness… You are inside the soul’s great fear…” God came bicycling up the driveway and skirted round the car. Today I gave four quarters away and then…and then… “There you are.” With quotes from the Rumi poem entitled “There You Are” translated by Coleman Barks
	Featured Poem from Poetry London February 11, 2009 Workshop by Linda Damore Release your self into Me so that you may float upon the ballast of your being.